Boogie is a strange little beast. It tries to be a full-on karaoke simulator as well as a pseudo rhythm action game at the same time. The results are all over the place but the game’s heart and soul — and beats — are in the right place. It’s a shame that the game is really far too easy and aside from the occasional playthrough at social gatherings, you’ll soon be done with Boogie.

We like to talk about games that try and demonstrate initiative and unique aspects and Boogie certainly qualifies for a mention in that respect. The title ships with a nice matte black EA-branded Logitech USB microphone which is the same hardware seen in the Wii version of the game. But unlike the Wii game, Boogie on PS2 costs 10 bucks less, which is a little bit easier on the wallet.

The real decision on making the purchase will lie in the following factors: the game is very, very easy to beat and there’s really not that much replay value in terms of the single-player experience once you’ve trawled through the initial pass. Then, there’s the choice of musical tracks that Boogie sports. While the covers can be a little hit or miss, on the whole we liked the ’70s disco vibe that the game delivers. The last factor is multiplayer. You’ll have to weigh how much importance you want to place on getting other folks to stand up and have a go at dancing and singing. In our experience, this is something best left for social extroverts and close family and friends.

The big different between the PS2 version and Wii’s effort is obviously the use of a standard PS2 joypad versus the Wii’s motion-sensitive controls. Instead of waving your arms around on the beat, you’re simply going to be pressing a combination of face buttons and directions to trigger the regular and special dance moves. You can mix things up by switching dance styles as each character has three different styles to choose from. The more you nail the moves, the more your special move meter will fill with energy.

After reaching a certain level of energy, you’ll be able to “strike a pose” which allows you to flirt with the camera and pose for some extra bonus points, or bust out one of many different mega-moves which will also net large points. The ultimate aim is to hit or break the target score for a song, progress through the character’s story arcs, or simply enjoy some freestyle dancing and singing.

We felt as though the actual singing portions of Boogie were more redundant than the dancing portions, mainly due to the fact that the singing is basically a sham. It’s possible to not actually sing at all, because as long as the mic is registering any kind of sounds — blowing, screaming, yelling, scratching and so on — you’ll actually still be able to pass the stages with flying colors. Sure this is not in the spirit of the game, but why force the gamer to do something that seems forced anyways?